


A Little Bit Of You, A Little Bit Blue

by squeezedoutofmiracles



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Acquiring Children, Kingdomstuck, M/M, New Family, giftfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 14:30:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squeezedoutofmiracles/pseuds/squeezedoutofmiracles
Summary: something borrowed and blue turns up in the Nitram’s brooding caverns, and Rufioh Nitram, The Summoner, The Bull King, takes it upon himself to hand deliver it home.a gift fic for Zenis. Thanks for all the lore.





	A Little Bit Of You, A Little Bit Blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HorseSteppin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HorseSteppin/gifts).



Horuss hadn’t intended to fall asleep at the desk in his private wing of the library, but the recently installed central heating for the wing had made it too cosy for him to keep his eyes open after a long day arguing with officials about… agriculture? Taxes? He wasn’t wholly sure what conclusion they had come to, only that Horuss needed to be excused, as he had other business to attend to. 

He didn’t, but being in his private study soothed his burgeoning headache.

When he was awoken the soft first rays of daylight were glowing ominously at the windows, and the footman who had come to find him hurried to the windows, to draw the heavy drapes and light the lanterns in the room.

“Sire, you have a guest, there’s an urgent caravan been sent from-”

“So urgent I couldn’t first be allowed to come to my senses?” He said, rubbing a hand over his face and pressing a thumb to his eyelid, stroking his hair out of his face and looking about his desk groggily. Half a cup of something sat cold and stagnant on the desk, an inkwell precariously close to his sleeve, and a candle had burned down into a puddle of wax with a sulking wick. It had been a long few nights, and he had not allowed his study to be tidied, much to the chagrin of the usual team that liked to keep things straightened. This was his area, and he didn’t need them coming in and disrupting his organisational system, things had been hard enough since the passing of the last king, and they could very well give him a perigee to find his feet before coming in and moving everything around under him-

“Your highness.” Said a familiar voice, in a familiar accent, and Darkleer’s ears perked up in an instant, head whipping up to watch Rufioh Nitram, king of the house Nitram, standing in the doorway. To his private study.

The footman froze, eyes flickering between the two kings, mouth twitching open and closed as they guessed whether to speak or not.

“...your majesty.” Horuss said, jaw gritted. He looked to the footman, jaw set in a hard line. “...my apologies. I was not expecting company. Least of all _here_.”

The colour drained from the footman’s face, and he was about to stammer out an answer when Rufioh jumped in, wafting a hand at Horuss.

“Nah, I showed up unannounced. Don’t shit on him for it.”

Every ounce of sleepiness was evaporated from Horuss’ gaze as he levelled a killing blow in Rufioh’s direction, glare melting towards him as Rufioh, who looked uncharacteristically tired with shadows beneath his eyes and a general sag to his demeanour, dared to crack a smirk.

“...you are excused.” He said, shooting a glance to the footman who scuttled from the room. His attention was diverted back to Rufioh, and he sank forward on his chair with a creak of leather and soft thunk of his elbows settling on the table. The tension in the room broke when the door could be heard shutting with a heavy oaken clunk, when Horuss sank his head into his hands, smoothing his hair back out of his face and speaking down at the table.

“So what prompted this honour?” He murmured, rubbing at his eyes. It was bedtime, past bedtime, most of the palace would be asleep and silent. Rufioh must have ridden through the night to make it here by this time. 

The Nitram King crossed the room to him, riding boots falling with crisp taps on the flagstone floor, and sat himself down on a spare inch of desk.

“You look like shit, babe.” He murmured, reaching out and setting a warm, weathered hand on Horuss’ head, sinking his fingers slowly into his hair. “Have you been sleeping?”

Horuss allowed the gesture, formalities dropped out of sight of prying eyes, tipping his head back to look up at Rufioh, head silhouetted by a gas lamp like some sort of holy symbol he was too tired to name. 

“I would have. If I’d known you were coming.”

Rufioh tutted, pulling Horuss in by the shoulders for a hug. He was compact, hot as sin which made for a delicious cuddle, and still smelled like the outdoors from his ride in. 

“Besides. You’re one to talk.” Horuss muttered into Rufioh’s pecs, eyes shut and forehead pressed to his chest, ears twitching when they picked up his heartbeat. “You look exhausted. Is it harvest?”

“Babe.” Rufioh said, voice heavy and exasperated. “...harvest is in fall.”

Horuss grumbled something - as if HE could be expected to know the timetable of the agricultural kingdom - but it was smothered when Rufioh worked his claws gently against his scalp, drawing a long rusty noise out of him.

“Did you just come here to cuddle?” He murmured, eyes heavy, an arm looping around his waist to hold on to Rufioh. He was close enough to feel his heartbeat, and the heat of his body pressed to his cheek.

“Uh, I wish.” Rufioh muttered, chuckling, looking down at him full of fondness and a gentle pressing concern. “I, uh. Got someone I want you to meet. Actually.”

Horuss pulled away, blinking slowly and trying to focus up at him through the sleep haze. “Who?” He said, sitting himself up, smoothing out the wrinkles in his pants blearily and looking about for a mirror. A foreign minister? He was meant to meet them now, on the cusp of dawn? He’d had no warning, no time to prepare, if Rufioh had only sent a bird with a message, or some kind of signal-

“No he, he won’t care how you look, babe.” He said, cracking a smile and resting a hand on Horuss’ wrist, squeezing gently. Rufioh looked far too full of warmth and excitement for anything good to be happening.

Horuss paused, throwing him a wary glance, hand stilling.

“Wh. Who did you bring?”

“C’mon. Trust me.” He said, hopping down from the desk. 

Horuss very much didn’t like trust games. They never led anywhere good. But with nothing else to do but sit and stew and worry, he rose from the chair and followed close behind Rufioh, through the brightening halls of the library, into the cool dim corridors, through to the great entrance itself and out to the stables, where the carriage was stalled and waiting for grooms to come unhitch the hoofbeasts. Two Nitram guards stood by it, close confidants, faces Horuss recognised from… visits to the kingdom.

Rufioh ducked into the carriage, doors wide enough for him to fit through comfortably with his wide-set horns, and coaxed a bundle of blankets and cloth into his arms. He moved slower and gentler with it, and Horuss wondered briefly if they’d had a new foal born or something similar, and Rufioh had brought it along on an impromptu visit. The thought coaxed a soft warm smile out of him, and he moved closer, ready to listen to him coo and gush over all its prize-winning features.

He turned around with a baby in his arms.

Horuss stopped, freezing in place, eyes wide as Rufioh turned around slowly, shushing the fussing infant and moving closer to Horuss, rocking the baby softly and hushing it as he stepped closer until the soft wool of the blankets brushed Horuss’ stomach.

“Hold your arms out, doll.” Rufioh said gently, eyes down on the child, shifting the bundle gently into Horuss’ arms and letting him bear the weight, arranging Horuss’ arms around it as he stood with his mouth slack, staring down at the wriggling, grisling mess of blankets and. Tiny tiny arrow-tined horns.

“Pupated today.” Rufioh said, voice calmer and gentler than Horuss had ever heard it, eyes fixed down on him. “A blue grub in the Nitram kingdom? Caused a fuss.” He looked up to Horuss, who stood completely still with the baby cradled securely in his huge arms. “Quietest fuss in, uh, recent history, though.” He was beaming, unashamed, grinning wide enough to wrinkle the corners of his eyes. “He’s got a brother.” 

“A brother?” Horuss barely dared to breathe, watching the child’s face intently. It blinked up at him, and his eyes were bright brilliant yellow, blush in his cheeks and nose a deep deep blue. “What’s his name?”

“Oh, this one’s Horuss.” He said, setting his hands on his hips. Looking far too pleased with himself.

Horuss, the original one, looked up at Rufioh, glowing adoring expression gone and mouth set in a flat line.

“And his brother. Is called Rufioh.” 

“Rufioh-”

“It’s a Nitram tradition, so don’t even try me, buddy. Whole naming ceremony is already done! All the paperwork! In, uh, duplicate.” He grinned, so pleased with himself. So absolutely delighted with his own handiwork. “Rufioh the second of his name. More power in a double!”

Horuss looked down at Horuss, who looked back up. At Horuss.

Horuss, the younger one, stuck his whole fist in his mouth and chewed at it.

“We’ll slip him into your brooding caverns. And tomorrow, your kingdom will have a new prince. Congrats.”

“An heir.” Horuss corrected him quietly. But firmly. “They’re heirs here.” 

“An heir, then.” Rufioh said, looking down to him. “And he’s going to be a heartbreaker.”

That, astoundingly, garnered a chuckle from Darkleer. The stoic king. The stone-faced ruler who had courted a clown and never cracked a smile. On record.

“I’m sure.” 

He looked up to Rufioh and smiled to him in the dim light of the stables, in amongst the warm smell of fresh straw and the fresh fallen rain outside. He leaned over and kissed him, holding the bundle of woolen blankets closer to his chest, and he could faintly feel it buzzing as the child purred, safe and content.

“You can name the next lot.” Rufioh muttered against his lips, wiggling his eyebrows. 

And despite the fact that it didn’t raise a chuckle from Horuss, he did feel for the first time in a few weeks that things were going to be alright.


End file.
